Jewish International Film Festival (JIFF)

Jewish International Film Festival (JIFF)

With 68 exceptional, international premiere features and documentaries and 7 shorts, the Jewish International Film Festival (JIFF) proudly returns to Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Auckland from late October, and tours to Canberra for the first time in the Festival's history.

Embracing a global selection of features and documentaries from 19 countries including Argentina, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Morocco, the Netherlands, Poland, South Africa, Spain, UK and USA, the Festival's 2016 season continues to celebrate the infinite diversity of this fascinating culture through drama, humour and suspense.

The highlights of JIFF 2016 are many and include several outstanding feature dramas from Germany such as The People Vs Fritz Bauer, The Diary of Anne Frank and Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe.

Winning in 6 categories, including Best Feature Film, Best Direction and Best Screenplay, at the 2016 German Film Awards, The People Vs Fritz Bauer is a historical thriller that recounts the story of Attorney General Fritz Bauer who covertly sought the help of Mossad to bring Hitler's henchman, Adolf Eichmann, to justice.

In The Diary of Anne Frank, the filmmakers have, for the first time since Anne's inspiring memoir has been brought to screen, drawn upon her uncensored diary, which has resulted in arguably the most poignant, yet powerful dramatisation of her life to date.

In his day, Austrian author, Stefan Zweig was the most-translated writer in Europe.  But sensing the continent's decline, Zweig left his native country in 1934, never to return.  His self-imposed exile is movingly captured in director Maria Schrader's Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe.

The finest contemporary cinema from Israel will again be represented at JIFF, including many titles that are set to dominate the 2016 Ophir Awards (Israeli Oscars).  Amongst those to have received multiple Ophir nominations are the features Our Father (12 nominations), Sand Storm (12 nominations) and One Week and a Day (7 nominations).

Our Father, a visceral thriller, sees a man's inherent morality tested when he's lured into a world of crime. In Sand Storm, which won the Grand Jury Prize in the World Cinematic Dramatic section of Sundance 2016, a mother and daughter from a Bedouin village struggle to adapt to a changing world, whilst One Week and a Day, which premiered at this year's Cannes' Critics Week, offers a hilarious, yet affecting look at two parents attempting to re-adjust following the passing of their son.

The intricacies of father/son relationships are explored in features such as The Tenth Man, The Origin of Violence and Midnight Orchestra, which won the Ecumenical Jury Prize at the 2015 Montreal World Film Festival.

A heartfelt comedy set against the backdrop of Purim, The Tenth Man, from Argentinian filmmaker Daniel Burman (Lost Embrace), sees Ariel (Alan Sabbagh in his Tribeca Film Festival Award-winning performance) summoned, by his oft-distant father, to his childhood home in the bustling Jewish quarter of Buenos Aires, where they attempt to reconnect.

Shifting pace, The Origin of Violence, a French/German co-production adapted from the prize-winning 2009 novel of the same name, follows a young teacher whose life is turned upside down when he discovers a photograph of a prisoner closely resembling his father during a research trip to Buchenwald concentration camp.

And in The Midnight Orchestra, a life-affirming tale that crosses the Moroccan-Jewish divide, the son of a once famous musician endeavours to fulfil his father's dying wish by seeking the former members of the old man's band, and in doing so, rediscovers his cultural roots.

Renowned for its superb documentaries, the 2016 incarnation of JIFF will not disappoint and will include Jerry Lewis: The Man Behind the Clown, Arthur Miller, Man of the Century, Aida's Secrets, a tale of familial drama and intrigue, and The Settlers, which explores the history of settlements in the West Bank.  There's also Princess Shaw, a look at the unlikely friendship between Israeli Youtube Mash-up artist, Kutiman, and Princess Shaw, a troubled New Orleans Singer and The Last Laugh, a provocative debate over comedy's ultimate taboo…the Holocaust. 

These are just a few of the gems in store at JIFF 2016.  Full program details will be revealed at the JIFF 2016 Program Launch Event to be celebrated with an exclusive preview screening of Woody Allen's charming new film, Cafe Society (screening a month prior to general release, courtesy of EOne). Tickets to this 28/29 September event are on sale now at jiff.com.au or through our participating cinema venues.

The 2016 Jewish International Film Festival will screen as follows:

Visit the official website at: www.jiff.com.au